Toward Unified Global Access to Polar Satellite Remote Sensing Data

Because of the polar regions' remoteness and inaccessibility, climate change science must often rely on satellite remote sensing to address key problems. Since the 1970s, there have been dedicated satellite instruments for polar research, and also numerous serendipitous uses of satellite instruments intended for lower latitude observations. Many satellite databases exist in several nations, some spanning more than two decades, but the full extent of this distributed data set is not well known. Additionally, there is an enormous body of pioneering polar remote sensing data from Russia, whose legacy has yet to be fully appreciated. This survey research, supported by the NSF Information Technology Research (ITR) program, reveals the known polar satellite data holdings worldwide. This presentation discusses their specific scientific contributions, discusses the potential applications of a global data catalogue, and recommends infrastructure for greater community access to remote sensing data.